Coffee with Carma

Coffee with Carma | Episode 478

What if the platform you built your business on decided tomorrow to ban sharing links? (They are all pretty much that way now, by the way.) In this episode, I share three lessons from a 1966 spy spoof film. These lessons show why a single-platform strategy can be fragile. I talk about why outmaneuvering an algorithm beats out-muscling it. And I share why the size of your email list matters less than how engaged it is. You’ll walk away with one tiny action you can take this week to protect the part of your business you actually own.

Questions This Episode Answers:

* Why is relying on one social media platform risky for my business?

* How do I diversify my social media without spreading myself too thin?

* Does the size of my email list matter more than engagement?

* What should I do if my livestream platform goes down during an event?

* How often should I be emailing my list?

This week’s Reserved Table tool is already live. I built it to help you take what you’ve learned this week and move your book forward over the weekend.

Thanks for reading Authority by Design! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Authority by Design is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Inspired by Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

Coffee with Carma | Episode 477

I used to believe that emailing more than once a month would send my list running for the unsubscribe button. In this episode, I share what really happened when I tested emailing five days a week, and it was not what I expected. I’ll show you three steps to reduce your reliance on one social media platform. You can also begin nurturing the list you already have.

Questions This Episode Answers:

* How do I know which social media platform I am too dependent on?

* What is the best way to get social media followers onto my email list?

* Will emailing my list more often increase my unsubscribe rate?

* How often should I email my list each week?

* What should I include in my emails so people do not unsubscribe?

Ready to implement what you learned this week? Every Friday, Reserved Table members get a tool or resource built to help you take action on the week’s topic. Simple enough to complete over the weekend, powerful enough to move your book forward.

Thanks for reading Authority by Design! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Authority by Design is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Through the Lens of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Coffee with Carma | Episode 476

Every time the algorithm shifts, you feel it, even if you don’t always see why it happened. In this episode, I share five ways to protect your business from platform risk. And I use the 1966 film A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum as my lens. I walk you through what I own versus what a platform can take from me in an instant. I even share the story of the year I lost my entire Instagram account to a hacker. You’ll come away knowing exactly what to nurture now so the next algorithm shift doesn’t knock your business over.

Questions This Episode Answers:

* What is platform risk and why does it matter for a small business?

* What can I actually own online versus what can a platform take away?

* How do I protect my business from a social media algorithm change?

* Why did Carma Spence lose her Instagram account?

* How do I build backup plans into my business?

Want to implement what you’ll learn this week? Every Friday, Reserved Table members get a tool or resource built to help you take action on the week’s topic. Simple enough to complete over the weekend, powerful enough to move your book forward.

Thanks for reading Authority by Design! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Authority by Design is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Coffee with Carma | Episode 475

Have you ever wondered whether the way you’re using AI is helping your authority ... or hurting it? In this episode, I break down the good, the bad, and the ugly ways entrepreneurs and authors are using AI right now. And, for fun, I use the classic spaghetti western The Good, the Bad and the Ugly as the lens. I share where I once worked inside the ugly phase. I warn about what bad AI use can do. And I share the one small shift I’m making in my own workflow that you can borrow before your next AI prompt.

Questions This Episode Answers:

* What’s the difference between good and bad AI use for authors?

* How do I know if I’m creating AI slop?

* Should I use AI to write my content?

* What should I include in an AI brief before I start a project?

* How do successful authors and entrepreneurs actually use AI?

This week’s Reserved Table tool is already live. I built it to help you take what you’ve learned this week and move your book forward over the weekend.

Thanks for reading Authority by Design! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Authority by Design is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Inspired by the 1966 film The War of the Gargantuas

Coffee with Carma | Episode 474

Two giants came from the same cells. One turned out fine. One turned into a monster. In this episode, I use that split from The War of the Gargantuas to walk you through the three steps I use to raise my own AI systems. I also get honest about exactly where AI helps me and where I do the real thinking myself. If you want AI that earns your trust instead of embarrassing you in front of your audience, this one’s for you.

Questions This Episode Answers:

* How do I build an AI system I can trust?

* What’s the right order for building an SOP before handing tasks to AI?

* How do I decide what AI should and shouldn’t do in my business?

* Why did an author lose his book deal over AI use?

* How transparent do I need to be about using AI in my content?

Ready to implement what you learned this week? Every Friday, Reserved Table members get a tool or resource built to help you take action on the week’s topic. Simple enough to complete over the weekend, powerful enough to move your book forward.

Thanks for reading Authority by Design! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Authority by Design is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Coffee with Carma | Episode 473

I keep hearing people talk about AI like it’s a light switch. They are either keeping it fully caged and unused, or fully free and running the show. Most don’t seem to be doing something in between. In this episode, I share the story of Joy and George Adamson raising Elsa in Born Free. And use it to illustrate five principles for finding the middle ground with your AI systems. I share a real story about my own AI skill that wouldn’t stop telling me “no pink.” I explain why release doesn’t mean disappear. And I share why I believe nothing an AI produces should go out the door without a human checking it first. If you’ve ever wondered how much oversight is enough, this episode gives you a real answer.

Questions This Episode Answers:

* How much oversight does AI actually need once it’s working well?

* What does human-in-the-loop AI look like in practice?

* Why do AI tools seem to change behavior after a model update?

* Is it safe to let AI publish content without review?

* How do you train an AI skill to remember your brand guidelines?

Want to implement what you’ll learn this week? Every Friday, Reserved Table members get a tool or resource built to help you take action on the week’s topic. Simple enough to complete over the weekend, powerful enough to move your book forward.

Thanks for reading Authority by Design! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Authority by Design is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Coffee with Carma | Episode 472

In this episode, I break down three lessons on claiming authority before you feel ready. I pull them straight from the gloriously ridiculous spy spoof Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs. I also share the story of why I just renamed my own book. If you have been waiting to feel ready before you claim your authority, this episode is for you.

Questions This Episode Answers:

* How do I claim authority before I feel ready to write a book?

* Why should I write a book before I feel fully established in my business?

* What does it mean to treat a book as a uniform instead of a reward?

* How do I take imperfect action on my book without a perfect plan?

* Why did Carma rename her book from Author Ignition to Authority with Integrity?

This week’s Reserved Table tool is already live. I built it to help you take what you’ve learned this week and move your book forward over the weekend.

Thanks for reading Authority by Design! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Authority by Design is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Inspired by the 1966 Rankin/Bass Feature Film, The Daydreamer

Coffee with Carma | Episode 471

Many experts think the right people will eventually find them. They don’t, not without help. In this episode, I share three steps that move you from wishful thinking to clear author positioning. You’ll walk away with a concrete way to stop waiting to be noticed and start being known.

Questions This Episode Answers:

* How do I build clear author positioning if I’ve been staying quiet?

* Why does AI recommend some authors and not others?

* What does it mean to say the thing no one else will say in my industry?

* How do I know if my content pillars actually reflect my author authority?

* Why isn’t “the right people will find me” a real strategy?

Ready to implement what you learned this week? Every Friday, Reserved Table members get a tool or resource built to help you take action on the week’s topic. Simple enough to complete over the weekend, powerful enough to move your book forward.

Thanks for reading Authority by Design! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Authority by Design is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Inspired by The Ghost and Mr. Chicken Starring Don Knotts

Coffee with Carma | Episode 470

In this episode, I share five lessons on why hesitation is costing you your authority. I use the 1966 Don Knotts film The Ghost and Mr. Chicken as my lens. You’ll see why “not ready to write a book” usually means “not ready to be seen as an authority.” You’ll learn why the story goes to whoever shows up first. And you’ll discover why courage was never about the absence of fear. If you’ve been waiting to feel ready before you claim your spot, this episode is for you.

Questions This Episode Answers:

* Why do I feel like I’m not ready to write my book?

* How do I stop someone else from claiming my expertise?

* Is courage the same thing as not feeling afraid?

* How do I start building authority before I feel fully prepared?

* What question should I ask instead of “Am I ready?”

Ready to implement what you learned this week?

Every Friday, Reserved Table members get a tool or resource built to help you take action on the week’s topic. Simple enough to complete over the weekend, powerful enough to move your book forward.

Thanks for reading Authority by Design! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Authority by Design is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Inspired by Batman: The Movie (1966)

Coffee with Carma | Episode 469

I love finding business lessons in the most unexpected places. Today it’s the campy 1966 superhero film, Batman: The Movie. In this episode, I share three ways to get your systems out of your head and onto paper. If your processes only live in your memory, you’ll want to hear this one.

Questions This Episode Answers:

* What is an SOP and does it have to be complicated?

* How do I turn a recording of myself doing a task into written instructions?

* Why do I keep forgetting the steps to tasks I do all the time?

* What’s the fastest way to start documenting my business processes?

* Should I cross off or highlight items on my checklist?

This week’s Reserved Table tool is already live. I built it to help you take what you’ve learned this week and move your book forward over the weekend.

Thanks for reading Authority by Design! This post is public, so feel free to share it.

Authority by Design is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.